History of Barcelona in Timeline

Barcelona is a major city located on the northeastern coast of Spain and serves as the capital of Catalonia. It is the second-most populous municipality in Spain with a city population of 1.6 million, and an urban area extending to approximately 5.3 million residents. This makes it the fifth most populous urban area within the European Union. Geographically, Barcelona is situated along the Mediterranean Sea, nestled between the Llobregat and Besòs rivers, and bordered by the Serra de Collserola mountain range to the west, marking it as one of the Mediterranean's largest metropolises.

1882: Museum of Natural Sciences of Barcelona founded

In 1882 the Museum of Natural Sciences of Barcelona was founded under the name of "Museo Martorell de Arqueología y Ciencias Naturales".

1900: Barcelona Population

In 1900, Barcelona had a population of 533,000.

1900: Demographics

In 1900, almost a third (28.9 percent) of the population were children (aged younger than 14 years).

1920: Laboratori de Natura at the Castle of the Three Dragons

From 1920 to 2010, the Laboratori de Natura operated at the Castle of the Three Dragons as the Zoology Museum.

1924: Martorell Museum opened to the public

From 1924 to 2010, the Martorell Museum was open to the public as a geology museum.

1929: Barcelona International Exposition (Expo 1929)

In 1929, Barcelona hosted the Barcelona International Exposition (Expo 1929).

1929: Barcelona Pavilion designed

In 1929, Mies van der Rohe designed the Barcelona Pavilion for the International Exposition for Germany, symbolizing modern architecture.

1930: Barcelona Pavilion torn down

In 1930, less than a year after its construction, the Barcelona Pavilion was torn down.

1930: Historical Botanical Garden of Barcelona founded

The Historical Botanical Garden of Barcelona was founded in 1930.

1936: Barcelona: Capital of Revolutionary Catalonia

In 1936, Barcelona became the capital of Revolutionary Catalonia during the Spanish Revolution.

January 1939: Fall of Barcelona

On January 26, 1939, Barcelona fell, causing a mass exodus of civilians fleeing to the French border, marking a significant moment in the Spanish Civil War.

1939: Capture by Fascists

In 1939, Barcelona was captured by the fascists during the Spanish Civil War.

1945: Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art focuses on post-1945 art

The Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art focuses on Catalan and Spanish art from 1945 onwards.

1950: End of Catalan modernista architecture

Catalan modernista architecture developed between 1885 and 1950, leaving a significant architectural legacy in Barcelona.

1950: Population Increase

In 1950, Barcelona began absorbing a high number of people from other less-industrialized parts of Spain.

1957: EADA Business School Founded

In 1957, the EADA Business School was founded, becoming the first Barcelona institution to run manager training programmes for the business community.

1960: First version of Municipal Law

In 1960, a first version of the Municipal Law was passed.

1960: Can Framis Museum focused on post-1960 Catalan Art

The Can Framis Museum focused on post-1960 Catalan Art owned by Fundació Vila Casas.

1975: Death of Franco

In 1975, the death of Franco brought on a period of democratization throughout Spain.

September 1977: Massive demonstrations

On September 11, 1977, over a million people demonstrated in Barcelona, calling for the restoration of Catalan autonomy.

1979: Population Peak

In 1979, Barcelona's population peaked at 1,906,998.

1982: FIFA World Cup Matches

In 1982, Barcelona hosted several matches during the FIFA World Cup.

1986: Spanish Accession to the European Community

In 1986, Spain joined the European Community, which helped Barcelona's development.

1986: Barcelona Pavilion re-created

In 1986, a modern re-creation of the Barcelona Pavilion by Spanish architects was constructed in Barcelona.

1987: ETA car bombing at Hipercor

In 1987, an ETA car bombing at Hipercor killed 21 people.

1987: City Divided into Administrative Districts

Since 1987, the city has been divided into 10 administrative districts.

1990: Tourism Increase

In 1990, Barcelona had 1.7 million tourists.

1992: Summer Olympics Hosted

Barcelona hosted the 1992 Summer Olympics.

1992: Barcelona hosts the Summer Olympics

In 1992, Barcelona hosted the Summer Olympics, driving major changes in the city's infrastructure and international perception.

1992: Barcelona's Designation as Host City of the Summer Olympics

In 1992, Barcelona was the host city of the Summer Olympics, promoting urban regeneration and increasing its international reputation.

1992: Olympics Stadium

In 1992, the publicly owned Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys was used for the Olympics.

1992: Estació del Nord Renovation

The Estació del Nord was renovated for the 1992 Olympic Games.

1996: Population Born Outside Spain

In 1996, 3.9% of Barcelona's population was born outside of Spain.

1997: Industrial Establishments in Catalonia

As of 1997, the Barcelona metropolitan area contained 67% of the total number of industrial establishments in Catalonia.

1999: Barcelona wins RIBA Royal Gold Medal

In 1999, Barcelona won the RIBA Royal Gold Medal for its architecture, marking the first time the award was given to a city rather than an individual architect.

1999: New Venue for OBC

In 1999, the Barcelona Symphony and Catalonia National Orchestra (OBC) inaugurated its new venue in the brand-new Auditorium (L'Auditori).

1999: Botanical Garden of Barcelona founded

The Botanical Garden of Barcelona was founded in 1999.

2000: Cultural Roots go back 2000 years

Barcelona's cultural roots go back 2000 years.

2000: Population Low

In 2000, Barcelona's population hit a low of 1,496,266 residents.

2000: Bread & Butter urban fashion fair hosted

Starting in the summer of 2000, Barcelona hosted the Bread & Butter urban fashion fair.

2000: Port of Barcelona History

The Port of Barcelona has a 2000-year-old history.

2001: Population Born Outside Spain

In 2001, 22.5% of Barcelona's population was born outside of Spain.

2001: Population Increase

Since 2001, Barcelona's population increased due to a new wave of immigration.

2002: Diagonal Mar Park inaugurated

In 2002, Diagonal Mar Park was inaugurated in Barcelona, covering 13.3 ha.

2004: High GDP

According to Eurostat, Barcelona city had a very high GDP of €80,894 per head in 2004.

2004: Universal Forum of Cultures and World Urban Forum

In 2004, Barcelona hosted the Universal Forum of Cultures and the World Urban Forum.

2004: Universal Forum of Cultures left concrete bathing zone

The 2004 Universal Forum of Cultures left Barcelona with a large concrete bathing zone on the eastern coastline.

March 2006: Approval of current Municipal Law

In March 2006, the current version of Barcelona's Municipal Law was approved, organizing the city council and giving the local government a special relationship with the central government.

2006: CosmoCaixa receives European Museum of the Year Award

In 2006, CosmoCaixa, a science museum in Barcelona, received the European Museum of the Year Award.

March 2007: Bicing service started

In March 2007, Barcelona's City Council initiated the Bicing service, a bicycle-sharing program designed as public transport, allowing users with a card to rent bikes from numerous stations across the city.

May 2007: Election and coalition agreement

After the May 2007 election, the ERC did not renew the coalition agreement and the PSC governed in a minority coalition with ICV as the junior partner.

2007: Roman Catholic Inhabitants

In 2007, most of the inhabitants stated they are Roman Catholic.

2008: High-speed rail extension

In 2008 the RENFE's AVE high-speed rail system was extended from Madrid to Barcelona.

2008: City Population Density

In 2008, Barcelona's city council calculated the population to be 1,621,090, resulting in an average population density of 15,926 inhabitants per square kilometre.

June 2009: New Terminal Opens

On 17 June 2009, a new terminal (T1) at Barcelona-El Prat Airport entered service.

2009: The Brandery fashion show debut

From 2009, The Brandery, an urban fashion show, was held in Barcelona twice a year.

2009: FC Barcelona sextuple

In 2009, FC Barcelona won six trophies in a calendar year, winning the sextuple.

2009: Catalan Education Act

In 2009, the Catalan Education Act stipulated that the language of instruction at public schools and escoles concertades is Catalan.

2009: Gross GDP

In 2009, the greater Barcelona metropolitan area had a GDP amounting to $177 billion.

2009: Bread & Butter fair returns to Berlin

In 2009, the organizers of the Bread & Butter urban fashion fair announced it would be returning to Berlin.

2010: Martorell Museum closed as geology museum

From 1924 to 2010, the Martorell Museum was open to the public as a geology museum.

2010: Barcelona Marathon

In March 2010, the Barcelona Marathon had over 10,000 participants.

May 2011: CiU gains a plurality of seats

On 22 May 2011, CiU gained a plurality of seats at the municipal election, winning 15 seats.

2011: International Visitors

In 2011, Barcelona was the 20th-most-visited city in the world by international visitors, with 5.5 million.

2011: Merge of Institutions for Museum of Natural Sciences

In 2011, the Museum of Natural Sciences ended up with a merge of five institutions

2011: Survey

In a 2011 survey conducted by InfoCatólica, 49.5% of Barcelona residents of all ages identified themselves as Catholic.

2012: Last Brandery Fashion Show

In 2012, the Brandery, an urban fashion show, held its last show in Barcelona.

2013: World Aquatics Championships

Barcelona was the host city for the 2013 World Aquatics Championships, which were held at the Palau San Jordi.

2013: Pleasure Cruise Passengers

In 2013, 3.6 million pleasure cruise passengers used the Port of Barcelona.

2013: High-speed rail connecting Barcelona and France was launched

In 2013, a shared RENFE-SNCF high-speed rail connecting Barcelona and France (Paris, Marseille and Toulouse, through Perpignan–Barcelona high-speed rail line) was launched.

2013: Linguistic Census

In 2013, according to the linguistic census held by the Government of Catalonia, Spanish was the most spoken language in Barcelona.

2013: FC Barcelona Museum Visitors

In 2013, the FC Barcelona Museum attracted 1.51 million visitors, making it the third most popular tourist attraction in Catalonia.

2013: Container Port Volume

In 2013, the Port of Barcelona had a trade volume of 1.72 million TEU's.

2014: Muslim Population

In 2014, 322,698 people in the province of Barcelona identified as Muslim, making up 5.6% of the total population.

2014: Southern European City of the Future

In 2014, Barcelona was recognized as the Southern European City of the Future by FDi Magazine.

2015: Barcelona architecture award status

As of 2015, Barcelona remained the only city to have won the RIBA Royal Gold Medal for its architecture.

2015: Sagrada Família completion plan

As of 2015, the planned completion date for the Sagrada Família was set for 2026.

2015: Visitor Ranking

By 2015, Prague and Milan had more international visitors than Barcelona.

2015: UNESCO City of Literature

In 2015, Barcelona became part of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network as a City of Literature.

2015: Most Livable City

In 2015, Barcelona was the 24th most "livable city" in the world according to Monocle.

January 2016: City Population

As of 1 January 2016, Barcelona's city population was 1,608,746 people.

March 2016: Tourism Infrastructure

As of March 2016, Barcelona has 519 hotels including 35 five-star hotels.

2016: Safest City

According to Business Insider, Barcelona was considered the 15th safest city in the world in 2016.

2016: Birthplace of Inhabitants

In 2016, about 59% of Barcelona's inhabitants were born in Catalonia, and 18.5% came from the rest of Spain.

May 2017: Barcelona included among "Eight Places That Hate Tourists the Most"

In May 2017, Barcelona was listed among the "Eight Places That Hate Tourists the Most" by The Independent, with Mayor Ada Colau expressing concerns about the city becoming a "cheap souvenir shop". The city began moderating tourism by halting new hotel licenses and fining AirBnb.

August 2017: Terrorist Attack on La Rambla

On August 17, 2017, a van attack on La Rambla resulted in 14 deaths and numerous injuries, claimed as a jihadist attack.

2017: Demographics

In 2017, the portion of people aged 65 and older made up 21.5% of the population.

2017: Protests against Tourism

In early 2017, over 150,000 protesters expressed concerns that tourism was destabilizing the city, leading to slogans like "Tourists go home" and increasing rental housing costs for residents.